Here is my notes on all of the major lighting basics you need and the best videos explaining them.
3 POINT LIGHTING
Standard lighting is BASIC 3 POINT LIGHTING which consists of
A KEY LIGHT
A FILL LIGHT
A BACKLIGHT
BROAD & SHORT SIDE
There are two sides of an actor's face to consider when lighting.
THE BROAD SIDE (side closest to the camera)
THE SHORT SIDE (side facing away from camera)
Here is a video discussing 3 point lighting and sides of light on a face above by FILM RIOT.
DAYLIGHT VS TUNGSTEN LIGHTS
Natural lighting is broken down into two groups - daylight and tungsten. The video below explains how and when to work with either one.
LIGHT THE SEPERATE LAYERS OF YOUR IMAGE
The key to great lighting is simple, it is a matter of SEPERATION.
Break the shot down in to foreground, middle and background and you suddenly see the possibilities of layered lighting. This video is not only amusing (he has a heavy accent and is a character himself) but his laid back approach is simple and easy to follow and an effective exercise in lighting scenes.
Another way of doing this concept is by using COLOR.
USE COLORS TO SEPERATE LAYERS OF IMAGE
Here is an interesting exercise that is an extension of the concept above but with a focus on how color can seperate the layers of an image.
SHOOTING INTO THE SHADOW SIDE OF A FACE
A very simple trick for shooting a scene and giving it depths/visual flare is to shoot on the shadow side of the actor's face.
That concept is explained in greater detail here in this video (skip to 1:38) and more quick lighting tricks:
DIFFUSION OF LIGHT
A very simple concept that helps light look way more CINEMATIC. The concept behind diffusion is to SOFTEN and SPREAD light by basically using a white sheet or fabric and shooting your powerful lights through them.
This is a simple set up using a white sheet as diffusion.
This concept is explained by FILM RIOT (skip to 2:00) and it is further expanded on with what they call the "Book Light" concept (skip to 3:20) in the video below.
Check out the an image of that "Book Light" below.
THE DIFFUSION VIDEO:
Below is a video explaining "Negative Fill" and how to use it. Basically, negative fill is just like a BOUNCE BOARD except it takes away light from a source rather than adding more light to it and it can be done with any black piece object.
SHAPING LIGHT
Using "flags" or even just a dark blanket to stop unwanted light from hitting the subject in frame.
EVERYTHING IS A FILL LIGHT
GENERAL EXERCISE IN LIGHTING
Below is a great video demonstrating many techniques above and how you can LIGHT SOMETHING 4 DIFFERENT WAYS!
We hope you enjoyed this lighting tutorial page and look for more FILM VALOR videos in the future using these techniques and our own on the horizon.